Sale of South Shore Regional Airport off the table following council vote

An airport in the Region of Queens Municipality will remain in the hands of the municipality after a motion to sell the property to the Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association failed.

Mayor Darlene Norman said the motion to sell the South Shore Regional Airport to the association at below fair market value was dropped in a 5-3 vote during a public hearing on Dec. 13.

This follows a motion passed by council 7-1 in November to "give notice of its intent" to sell the airport property to the association for $50,000.

Two other offers for the property were submitted — $100,000 from the South Shore Flying Club and $200,000 from Dimitri Neonakis, who runs a free program that gives sick and disabled children the chance to fly in his plane.

Norman said more than 30 people spoke at the meeting ahead of the vote.

"Two very opposing views, but two very respectful organizations in their comments and presentations," she said. 

"One speaker spoke and [personified] us as the parent and both organizations as children and how we chose to treat one child unfairly," she added. "So, going forward, when we examine and the new leases are created, I believe they will be much more equitable."

She said she was surprised to hear from the aviation community in Nova Scotia about the airport's importance.

She said the municipality would be looking in the future to ensure businesses and others that use the airport "are made aware that they need to contribute to the South Shore Flying Club's coffers," something that may be difficult because the airport is unmanned.

"The Nova Scotia drag racers have contributed over $350,000 to the Region of Queens … and they have the ability to do so because they charge racers, they charge spectators," Norman said.

"The flying club, on the other hand, has very little way of generating revenue, [so] upgrades to the airport have been made through budgetary measures made by the Region of Queens."

Drag racers association speaks on vote

Scott Sprague, director of the Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association, said in an interview he thinks the public hearing showed councillors the possible problems that could come with selling the airport to one party over another.

"We've used the … property mutually over the years with very little issues," he said. "I think it cast a little bit of doubt in their minds that … selling to one party or the other pits them against one another."

Sprague said the municipality was the one that initially came to the racers' association and proposed the sale, something he said "speaks volumes" about the value the drag racers bring to the municipality, despite the small number of racing events held annually.

Like Norman, Sprague mentioned an "imbalance" in the financial contributions between the flying club and the race association.

"We are the ones that can stand on our own," Sprague said. "We are not the ones with our hands out continually looking for support," he said.

In his estimation, Sprague said lease agreements for the race association would likely "be fine."

"But I believe that the next lease agreements for the flying club, who have said that it's so important to them … I believe that the free ride might be over for the flying club."

Response from aviation community

With the property remaining in municipal hands, Peter Gow, the president of the South Shore Flying Club, said the club was pleased with the result of the vote and plans to gather in the new year to discuss possible additions to the airport, including a hangar for aircraft storage.

"We've had an interesting month and a half, but now between ourselves and the Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association, we will be working together as we have in the past and try to make things better," Gow said.

Neonakis also said he was happy to hear of the council's decision. However, he expressed some concerns about the future of the property.

"I thought that [the municipality was] quick to sell the airport, get rid of it, get it out of their hands," Neonakis said. "But that is not a solution," adding that the airport was the only 4,000-foot paved runway that can serve as an alternate airport in the area, especially in emergency or search and rescue situations.

"We need to decide what the future is going to be," Neonakis said. "We need to make some good decisions."